Thinking about moving internationally? Then you'd better pick the right place. Here's a list of the greatest places to live in the world, ever:
Vienna
Via
Wikipedia:
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the
Austria and one of the nine
states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million
[3] (2.4 million within the
metropolitan area,
[2] more than 25% of Austria's population), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as
its cultural,
economic, and
political centre. It is the
9th-largest city by population in the
European Union. Vienna is host to many major
international organizations, including the United Nations and
OPEC. The city lies in the east of Austria and is close to the borders of the
Czech Republic,
Slovakia, and
Hungary. These regions work together in a European
Centrope border region. Along with nearby
Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants, and this region is referred to as Twin City.
[citation needed] In 2001, the city centre was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
[4]Geneva
Via
Wikipedia:
Geneva is the second-most-populous city in
Switzerland(after
Zurich) and is the most populous city of
Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situated where the
Rhone exits
Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the
Republic and Canton of Geneva. While the municipality itself
(ville de Genève) has a population (as of August 2011) of 191,803, the canton of Geneva (
République et Canton de Genève, which includes the city) has 464,677 residents (as of July 2011).
[3] In 2008, the urban area, or
agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise (
Great Geneva) had 890,000 inhabitants, two-thirds of whom lived on Swiss soil and one-third on French soil.
[4]Auckland
Via
Wikipedia:
The
Auckland metropolitan area in the
North Island of
New Zealand, is the largest and most populous
urban area in the country with 1,377,200 residents, 31 percent of the country's population.
[3] Auckland has the largest
Polynesian population of any city in the world.
[4] In
Māori Auckland's names are
Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland,
Ākarana.
The 2011
Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 3rd equal place in the world on its list,
[5] while
The Economist's World's Most Livable Cities index of 2011 ranked Auckland in 9th place. In 2010, Auckland was classified as a
Beta World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by
Loughborough University.
[6]Auckland lies between the
Hauraki Gulf of the
Pacific Ocean to the east, the low
Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the
Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the
Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow
isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the
Tasman Sea and the
Waitemata Harbour on the
Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two separate major bodies of water.
Sydney
Via
Wikipedia:Sydney is the
most populous city in
Australia and the
state capital of
New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the
Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people.
[1] Inhabitants of Sydney are called Sydneysiders, comprising a cosmopolitan and international population.
[4]The site of the first
British colony in Australia, Sydney was established in 1788 at
Sydney Cove by
Arthur Phillip, commodore of the
First Fleet as a
penal colony.
[5] The city is built on hills surrounding
Port Jackson which is commonly known as Sydney Harbour, where the iconic
Sydney Opera House and the
Harbour Bridge feature prominently. The hinterland of the metropolitan area is surrounded by
national parks, and the coastal regions feature many bays, rivers, inlets and
beaches including the famous
Bondi Beach. Within the city are many notable parks, including
Hyde Park and the
Royal Botanic Gardens.
Copenhagen
Via
Wikipedia:Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of
Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 (as of 1 January 2011). With the completion of the transnational
Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating
Øresund Region. Within this region, Copenhagen and the
Swedish city of
Malmö are growing into a combined
metropolitan area[citation needed]. Copenhagen is situated on the islands of
Zealand and
Amager.
First documented in the 11th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of
Christian IV, it became a significant regional centre.
Copenhagen is a major regional centre of culture, business, media, and science, as indicated by several international surveys and rankings (see
International rankings below).
Life science,
information technology and
shipping are important sectors, and
research & development plays a major role in the city's economy. Its strategic location and excellent infrastructure, with the largest airport in Scandinavia
[4] located 14 minutes by train from the city centre, have made it a regional hub and a popular location for regional headquarters
[5] and
conventions.
Amsterdam
Via
Wikipedia:Amsterdam is the largest city and the
capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the
constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors.
[6]Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population of 1,209,419 and a metropolitan population of 2,158,592.
[7] The city is in the
province of
North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises the northern part of the
Randstad, one of the larger
conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.
[8]Its name is derived from
Amstelredamme,
[9] indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river
Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the
Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds.
[10] In the 19th and 20th centuries,
the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th-century
canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010.
Ottawa
Via
Wikipedia:Ottawa is the
capital of
Canada. It is the second largest city in the
Province of
Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.
[3] The city is located on the south bank of the
Ottawa River in the
eastern portion of
Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders
Gatineau,
Quebec, located on the north bank of the Ottawa River; together they form the
National Capital Region (NCR).
[8]The 2006 census had the
city's population as 812,129,
[3] and the metropolitan population as 1,130,761.
[5] In 2009, Ottawa-Gatineau's population was estimated at 1,220,674.
[9] Mercer ranked Ottawa with the second highest quality of living of any in the
Americas, and 14th highest in the world.
[10] It was also considered the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world.
[11]Founded in 1826 as
Bytown and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological center of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area.
The name "Ottawa" is derived from the
Algonquin word adawe, meaning "to trade".
[12] Ottawa and the
Ottawa Valley was home to the
Algonquin people prior to the arrival of Europeans during the fur and subsequent lumber trade eras. Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement,
[13] Ottawa has become a
multicultural -
bilingual city with a diverse population.
